Pakistan beat Maldives to book semifinal spot at Asian Youth Netball Championship 2025

Pakistan on Tuesday advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025 with a hard-fought 49-39 victory over Maldives in their final group fixture at the Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium in Jeonju-si, South Korea.

In a closely contested match, Pakistan led 14-12 after the first quarter but fell behind 24-26 at halftime. They bounced back to regain the lead at 35-32 by the end of the third quarter and finished strong to close out the win.

Players including Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, Sumayya Kouser, Haleema, Jasmine Farooq and Farah Rasheed delivered outstanding performances and were instrumental in the team’s success.

Chairman of the Pakistan Netball Federation Mudassar Arian, President Sameen Malik, and Secretary General Muhammad Riaz congratulated the team on their impressive performance and progression to the next stage.

With this victory, Pakistan topped Group B and will face Japan in the semifinal on Thursday, July 3.

As per the Asian Netball Federation’s new format, the semifinals will be contested between the top four teams from both divisions—Group A (Gold Cup Division) and Group B (Plate Cup Division)—with the top-ranked team facing the fourth, and the second playing against the third.

The championship, featuring eleven nations, is being held from June 27 to July 4, 2025, under the auspices of the Asian Netball Federation.

Group A includes Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and India, while Group B comprises Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Maldives, and Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan began their campaign in dominant fashion, outclassing Saudi Arabia with a 71-15 victory. In their second match, the Green Shirts continued their impressive run by securing a 56-32 win over Chinese Taipei.

In the third group-stage match, Pakistan overwhelmed South Korea with a commanding 91-6 scoreline. They followed it up with a dominant 79-39 victory over Japan in the fourth match.